Buckle



I C. E. NICHOLS BUCKLE Filed la? 31. 1924 1 'mmvrox. C/Yesfer Nlchols.

A TTORNEY.

Patented May 5, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFlC-E.

onns'rnn E. anors, or rmnonronr, oonuno'nou'r.

V BUCKLE,

To all whom it may concern."

. Be it known that CHESTER E. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county ot'Fairfield and State, of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following. is a specification.

TlllSIHVQ-HHUOII relatesto' a buckle, useful for many purposes, but more especially adapted forutilization'in connection with supports for catameni-al bandages.

An object of the invention is to provide a buckle of double-loop style which will be an f improvement generally over all buckles of the same type heretofore known. I p

A further object is to provide a double loop buckle composed of but two strips or pieces ofme'ta-l, one strip or piece consisting of a length of metal, preferably wire, bent to constitute a loop including connecting or hanger strap wherein the ends of the length of metal are joined together asby welding, and the other strip or piece consisting of a second length of metal, preferably wire, bent to constitute a loop including eyes formed in and by the endportions oi said second length of metal and pivotally associated with. the

connecting or hanger strap ofthe first length bio of engaging each other for their full lengths to better graspand hold a cloth or the like to be fastened by the loops. p it Another ob'ect is to so construct the end portions of the loop having eyes and so associate said end portions and eyes with the other loop, or with its connecting or hanger strap,th=at when the loops are swung toward each other upon: the connecting or hanger strap as a'pivot, the portions of said other loop adjacent its connecting or hanger strap ride with pressure (after the fashion of cams) over the eyes or the end portions of the loophaving eyes until said adjacent portions pass beyond the metal of saideyes to Application filed May 31, 1924. senainoynaois.

be contiguous with or closely adjacent to said 100 having eyes, whereby said and pertionso said eyes can serve as means for lockingsaid loops in fixed relation to each other when'the buckle is closed, all will be made to fully appear. With theabove objects in view, as well as others which will become obvious as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises. the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as now to be fully described and as hereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that the (,lES-

closure herein is. merely illustrative and meant in no way in a limiting sense, changes in details of construction and arrangement of partsbeing permissibleso long aswithin thespirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanymgdrawing forming a part of this specification, I a

Fig, 1 is a perspective view of a buckle in which the improved features of the inventron areincorporated, shown as applied to use in connection with a support fora catamenial bandage,

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, onlan enlarged scale, of the buckle ofFig. 1, showing the" buckle in closed position; V

Fig. 3 is n elevational: view showing the loops of the buckle swung to their farthest distance apart; V I

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged sectional view, taken on line ti in Fig; 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figs, 5 and 6 are edge viewsshowing a manner in which an article to be rasped, such as acloth, maybeinserted in the loops of the buckle. j a I j Withrespect tothe drawing and the numerals of reference thereon, 10 represents one of the strips or pieces of metal of the improved double-loop buckle, and 11 represents the other strip or piece. As disclosed,

7 each strip or piece of metal is a length of wire, although this need not be the case. i

Thelength 10 is bent to provide a loop 12 having an approximately straight portion 13 1 intermediate the ends of the loop, and a connecting or hanger strap 14 at the loop ends, the extremities of the length of wire lQ-being joined together in the connecting or hanger strap as by welding at the location denoted 15.

The length 11 is bent to provide a loop 16 similar to the loop 12 and having an approxi- I mately straight portion 17 intermediate its ends and similar to the portion 13. The extremities of the length of wire 11 are shaped to provide eyes 18 which are pivotally as sociated with the connecting or hanger strap 14: at or adjacent the locations where the loop 12 merges into said hanger strap.

The approximately straight portions 13 and 17 are at equal distance from the hanger strap 14 when the loops of the buckle are hanger strap as a pivot.

strap), extend away from the connecting or' hanger strap as best disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3, each portion 19 preferably following a smooth curve, While the end portions of the loop 11 are, as disclosed at 20 in Fig. 2, desirably straight. The relation of the eyes, or the end portions 20 of the loop 11, with respect to the portions 19 is such that when the loops of the buckle are moved from their posit-ions in Fig. 3 to'their positions in Fig. 2, the portions 19 ride with pressure (after the fashion of cams) over the portions 20, the resiliency of the loop 11 allowing the eyes 18 to move slightly toward each other, until said portions 19, pass beyond the ends 21 of the portions 20. At this time, the resiliency of the loop 11 returns the eyes 18 and their end portions 20 to their normal positidn, said end portions falling back of the portions 19 of the loop 10, as very clearly disclosed in Fig. 4:. That 1s to say, after the portions 19 of the loop 10 have released the portions 20 of the loop 11, said portions are caused by the resiliency of said loop 11 to spread apart to lock the portions 19 of the loop 10 between the branches of the loop 11 and the portions 20 of the eyes 18 of said loop. Evidently, at this time the loopsof the buckle could. be

contiguous, with straight portions 13 and 17 against each other, with a cloth or the like grasped between the loops or their straight portions. When the loops are thus locked in the closed position of the buckle, they will not become accidentally spread apart, but by forcing the loops apart against the resiliency of the loop 11 or closely adjacent they can be readily moved from their positrons in Fig. 2 to or toward their positions in Fig. 3.

I do not intend to be necessarily limited to the exact construction of the portions 19 and 20 as illustrated and described. Clearly, any arrangement providing a. cam

ming action and a locking engagement when in closed position can be substituted without departing from the invention.

A manner in which the buckle is put to use is disclosed in Figs. 1, 5 and 6. In Fig. 1, A is a webbing which may constitute a part of a support for a catamenial bandage, the connecting or hanger strap 14c of the buckle being supported from the webbing as at B, and C is a cloth, as a catamenial bandage, secured by the loops 10 and 11. In Figs. 5 and 6, the cloth C is shown with one of its end portions D passed through the loop 11 and resting upon the base of this loop. Thence the cloth passes beneath the base of the loop 10, is folded upon itself about this base as at E and passes back as at F through the loop 11 above the end portion D. By catching hold of the cloth at, say, G'and moving it from its position of Fig. 5 to its position of Fig. 6, the loops 10 and 11 are drawn together. Evidently, the harder the pull at G,the tighter will be the grasp of the loops upon the cloth. And should there be slack in the cloth at G, the locking arrangement as set forth would preclude the possibility of the loops 10 and 11 moving apart.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A double-loop buckle including a loop with hanger strap, loop with eyes pivotally associated with the loop with hanger strap, said loop with eyes'being adapted to swing upon the hanger strapaway from or toward the loop with hanger strap to the open or closed positionpf the buckle whereby the loops can support a cloth or the like in such manner that a pull upon'the cloth will force said loops toward each other, and means for releasably locking the loops in the closed position of the buckle so that the loops will remain in fixed relation to each other when there is nopull being exerted upon said cloth, the locking means being with hanger strap, a loop with eyes pivotally associated with the loop with hanger strap, said loop with eyes being adapted to swing upon the hanger strap away'from or toward the loop with hanger strap to the open or closed position of the buckle whereby the loops can support a cloth or the like in such manner that a pull upon the cloth will force said loops toward each other, and means for releasably locking the loops in the closed I 2. A double loo-p buckle including a loop of ailoop adjacent said hanger strap adapted to ride with pressure over portions of said eyes to move the eyes slightly toward each other, said adjacent portions being adapted to pass beyond the ends of said eyes when the buckle reaches closed position,

. wherebythenatural resiliency of said loop of the loops having sai Signed (1 eyes.

at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, this 29th day of May, A. D., 1924 I CHESTE n E. NICHOLS. 

